章 179: Man Or Monster
**************
Earl Garner
I catch up with the two women as I ruminate on the equations and what they could hold for the future. I just got crystallized knowledge from the absolute forerunner in science, Eli Weiss. Of course, some Coltsmiths, Blacksmiths, and Alchemists are better at a specific thing, but Eli can do it all and more.
That old man runs the academy in Brightford, not all that far from here as it's only on the border between Blackreach and Timberlands. I wanted to get into it long ago as a dream, but now knowing the hideous nature of the old man, I'm glad I didn't. So instead, I'll use that knowledge he learned and forced upon his daughter.
How? Still dunno. The first thought is to electrify Primrose's whip or something, but who knows if that is possible. I'll have to test it out after I find some magnets. Based on the formula, the stronger the pull, the more powerful the current, so I'll have to find some extreme ones too.
I'm pulled out of my thoughts, literally, as Primrose yanks me forward past a nasty pit on the ground of decayed flesh. The sight of a man who starved to death down here haunts me instantly, his skin cl, and I know it will be in my sleep tonight as I walk forward. Primrose calls out toward an exit in front of us. Finally
"Another one over here. Let's get out of this place quickly. I can't stand this stench any longer. Even if we have to run from Myriad."
I nod in agreeance. I'd almost rather die than keep this up. It's just so wrong. Feels like I'm never going to smell anything else than the putrid bile, feces, and piss down here in the waters. I follow her toward the exit while Elizabeth shakes her head.
"I hate it too, but if he's nearby, we aren't going to risk it."
Primrose scoffs as she starts climbing up the rusted steel ladder.
"Yeah, I know. Just getting it off my chest."
I go to make a remark on her saying chest, but wisen up before it even leaves my mouth. I like my brain inside my head. Not going to even risk that with how irritated she is. Especially after she complimented me earlier. Even if it was offhanded.
After the lid is pushed off the sewer and Primrose sticks her head out, I hear a curse come from her. Quietly, I whisper to her.
"What's up there? Are we good?"
The woman nods and climbs up above, whispering all the while.
"Yeah, it's fine. Just a fight is about to start far away."
I follow her up the ladder with Elizabeth on my heels, and when I get to the top, I look around. We come out in an alley by a cobblestone street. Curious about the fight she's talking about, I take in the sights and sounds of this bustling city. Horses and carriages rattle by, their wheels splashing through muddy puddles. The air is thick with the smell of coal smoke and burning wood.
But there is no one fighting. I raise an eyebrow at Primrose, and she points to her ears.
"Listen."
Listen? Oh, right! I funnel Ether into my ears, using an intricate weave of Ether to create my own brand of Listen, Audition. Unlike Listen, which increases the sounds of both quiet and loud noises, I've made mine special over the past few months due to Primrose's constant nagging.
This skill of mine lets me block out noises and amplify those I want to hear, and as I use it to block out the noise of the city, I hear something in the distance slowly come to me. An accusatory and pained voice touches my ears from the far mouth it's coming from.
"This has gone on long enough. Turn yourself in, Myriad. You've gone way too far. Children? Children!? Do you have no shame? No empathy? What happened to your cause? Years ago, I was certain you could bring change, so much so I was pulling strings to preserve your life, but now, I must take it into my own hands."
Myriad? He's here!? Fuck. At least we are pretty far. That's the good thing. I listen a bit closer as I see Primrose's eyebrows raise. Elizabeth looks back and forth in confusion as she hasn't had time to improve her Listen.
Another voice comes as a response, this one crackly, stuttering, and positively brimming with malice.
"Too far? How have I gone too far?! Their children bathe in the blood of expensive monsters to acclimate to Ether while young, unlike us, the poor who have to fight for every scrap! None of the Estates are innocent, not even their piglets. No one will get in my way, Edward. Not even you."
Edward? Myriad? Oh damn… it's Revolution versus Resistance. I share a glance with Primrose, and we immediately pull Elizabeth and start running from the speech. Despite our disagreements, we can agree on one thing. We're not fighting either of those monsters. The only surviving Dudley versus Myriad, the Interminable Mask? Fuck no. A catastrophe is about to occur, and we need to get the hell out of here.
We sprint past at full speed, Ether enhancing our momenta as Primrose does most of the moving, pulling us with her. Storefronts with large display windows filled with all sorts of goods and wares flash by my eyes. The sounds of people haggling over prices and making deals fill my ears. I can see men in top hats and women in long dresses hurrying about their business, some carrying baskets and bags filled with groceries.
I squint my eyes and run past as I feel guilty. Two men are about to fight and level, probably a large area. I've heard a lot about Edward since we got in Blackreach, and his recent exploits are, in a word, insane, But not in the normal insane that Myriad is.
The fucker escaped from the execution after being captured. He escaped from Hunter Headquarters after being thrown into its darkest dungeon. And then! He recently fled the chase of Ashley Frankling, the Wild Fire, the Pillar of Blackreach. He escaped all three of those, inevitable death, doubtless purgatory, and guaranteed immolation from an angel all in one fucking month! One month!
He's only a 6th Sigil, but it's said he knows his late father Dzil, a skill that reaches the pinnacle of what a human body can withstand. And unlike his late father, an old and withered man during most of his career, he can use it to the greatest extent.
My eyes flash once more to the city around me of Blackreach.
The buildings are made of red brick, with ornate ironwork and decorative cornices lining the tops of the buildings. Street lamps are gas-powered and cast a warm glow over the scene as the sun begins to set. However, I know that underneath this fancy exterior is a terrible depth. Something stuck out when I first came here, and it still does.
The poverty and desperation of some residents, the grime and filth seem to coat everything in the darker corners.
All of that compared to the richness of some of the other residents in the brighter regions, the safer ones. The opulence and ironworking that decorates the streets. It's a place of contrasts, of beauty and ugliness intertwined.
These thoughts run through my mind to calm me about what will happen. I've already turned off Audition by stamping the flow of Ether and focusing on moving faster, but that's not enough. All at once, within at least a thousand feet, everything made of glass shatters.
Then, the red bricks are splattered with blood as a man covered by an entire outfit of the sanguine substance goes rolling over the street. I can clearly hear every slap and squelch as his flesh stabs into the hard cobblestone of the road. Everyone in the street pauses in abject horror for a moment, but not us. Then, seeing what's happening, Primrose turns to gas without hesitation, grabbing both Elizabeth and me before moving as fast as she can with us.
My vision turns nothing but green for a moment before we reappear on a faraway rooftop. I turn back to look at what's happening and see Edward, the Bloodbeast, stand to face Myriad. The man is already wounded, and I grab an eyeglass to see a bit closer. I just can't help it. I want to see what's going to happen.
Primrose tries to pull me away, but we are incredibly distant. So it should be fine to watch for a minute.
"Just a second! I want to see how this goes. This will have huge ramifications, Primrose, depending on who wins. Edward is trying to change the world all alone. Surely, we could use his help, right? We want the same as him; he's unlike Myriad."
She sighs and agrees to watch for a few minutes.
"Sure, but just a few. We need to get going right away. Who knows who else might show up."
Through the eyeglass, I look carefully at Edward as he shakily stands. Blood flows from his body and seals his wounds as Myriad walks toward him, splitting into a trio of bodies that move right for him, leaving imprints in the cobble.
Each clone hideously twists its frames as if they aren't even human in their movement. Their feet slam into the ground as their knees bend backward for more tremendous momentum. Then, right before they reach Edward, the Bloodbeast reveals his father's masterpiece for the world to see.
Shiver.
The instant before all three of the Myriads remove Edward's head, he moves with Angelic alacrity despite his evident mortality. First, he jumps back without any indication of movement. Then, the second the toe of his boot even touches the ground, he bursts right back for the Myriads, blades of blood in each hand that he had picked up from the street of his own wounds.
Edward doesn't wait a moment, hesitate, or even tremble in fear before a human who is more monster than man. Watching him fight against the trio of Myriads even as they split into fives, sevens, and nines, I am amazed by every second. Edward can even stop Myriad from killing people in the crossfire, for Bloodbeast is willing to take wounds to save the civilians, a rarity among the influential.
In the distance of the street, I see movement, and I turn the eyeglass to look down the cobblestone road. I see a group of men and women locked in combat with another group. However, the one with superior numbers has an air of madness, trading wounds for wounds and looking more like demons than a man, which makes me know which side is which. The outnumbered group is more similar to Johnny's rebellion; each of the few is powerful in their own right, preferring quality over quantity.
The other members of these two men's organizations are fighting as they do, rushing to come and give help to their leaders. Primrose tries to pull me again, but I shake her off, invested in this fight. But the moment I feel a rumble and see a flash of fire, I turn to her with a nod.
"Let's go now! Ashley Frankling is here! A three-way fight is far too much to watch, even from a distance!"
Primrose shakes her head in agreeance as if my words are blatant before latching her arms around Elizabeth and me once more. I hear her take a deep breath before my vision turns green again. Even through the greenness of her gaseous form, I still hear a fire's explosion and a building's crumbling as red manages to taint the endless green.
Back there, it's now Angel versus Monster versus Man. I hope Edward can somehow make it out alive, but I can't help the man. None of us can. Those people fighting are too mighty, each likely capable of wiping out Hura's invasion alone. Myriad, through his endless split masks and Ashley through her waves of flame, can create similar to Bonfire's, only her's burn cold, not hot. I'd even place bets on the Bloodbeast if he stood alone in Rustbank instead of us.
But before I know it, I'm on another street while Primrose pants, out of breath as she has to hold it using the skill and out of Ether saturation to spare. The application of Ether that turns her to gas is so Ether intensive she can only use it a few times, and the further she goes each use, the less she can use it.
Hurriedly, I pull her to keep moving away as we start to near the edge of Blackreach. I can even begin to see spots of leaves in the distance. Almost there! We aren't even being chased, but with the three fighting behind us, we might as well be within their range of danger. There is so much panic on the streets as we pass one would think that Blackreach is being invaded.
But that's not the case. Instead, it's our own people fighting against each other. One to prove that all those in the Estates must die, another that disagrees and simply wants equality, and a third that is there to kill them both to uphold the status quo.
I see children being covered by their parents as they run inside buildings to hide, and I even spot Hunters that see what's happening in the distance walking away. How far we've fallen. But I suppose am I any better? Not really, if I'm being fair. I am running for my life, unwilling to help because I know the consequences. I will die if I try to stop those people. Nothing but dust in the wind.
Thanking some unknown God that might have had some hand in this for the simple fact that Wyatt isn't here. He would've rushed in without a second thought. But, eh… he'd probably think about it first and conclude that he has to help.
I don't fault him, but I can see it will get him killed someday, for that want to help without regard for what's happening is lethal. That's why I gotta help him. If I do enough from the sidelines, twist the strings enough, make enough tools for him, perhaps, he could, in fact, make a difference where neither of us alone can't.
But if I throw that future away to save these people, I'm shooting myself in the foot alongside Wyatt and all the others he may help in the future.
I can also see the pain on Elizabeth's face, but I pull her with me, forcing her to come along. The woman is just as conflicted as I am but doesn't think as far ahead. It is not just now that matters. It is the future that truly matters. So what if we save these fifty or so people if we die in the process? That just means even more will die in the future without us.
That may be an arrogant thought to anyone but me, but it is simply the truth in my mind. Every day I grow. Every day I grow more skilled, more knowledgeable, and more powerful. I can't imagine how much Wyatt's grown since I last saw him. The Underworld. What a journey he must be on.
I rekindle my focus on escape as I see the end of the cobblestone road that leads to a dirt one. We quickly reach that dirt road and run toward the forest in the distance, where we hide our horses and carriage. When we first arrived, I found an orphan to care for them relatively cheaply. However, Elizabeth and I felt terrible, so we paid extra. Hopefully, the extra money we gave will help him out a bit.
But just as my feet hit the dirt road, a chill runs up my back alongside a child's scream. I turn around and see Edward Dudley, bloody, beaten, and battered, standing above a young child in protection. At the same time, Myriad presses him with untold malice, dozens of splits unhurriedly moving toward him. Above Myriad, a woman covered in cerulean flames falls to the floor toward the man. For an unknowable reason, both are targeting Edward.
I keep taking steps back as Primrose and Elizabeth see what's happening as well. My heart twinges with the want to help, but I settle for something simple as one of Myriad splits tries to kill Edward with a large blade.
Reshuffle comes burning with a powerful twist as I take my newly primed manipulation skills of Ether and push it to the next level. I've only done this once in testing while in the sewers. Braided Ether twists into my palms as I curl my fingers and leverage the strings of the world.
And before my very eyes, only a few dozen feet away, something I believed to never be possible happens. First, Edward moves forward, almost gets cut in half, and takes out the hand of some long-dead man from his pocket. Then, as another Myriad stabs him, Ashley burns several Myriads to dust before tossing a wave of bleak flame at the Bloodbeast. Finally, as the fire approaches him, I see Edward look at the amputated hand in his own with conflict.
Then, after half a second of hesitation that earns him another blade through his chest and flames that freeze his skin into blackened frost, I see Edward's face twist in indecision and worry before flinching into a grimace of determination. The man, skewed by multiple blades and charred by frosty fire, barely manages to crush the hand that must be an artifact. Sparkle comes from the broken artifact reminiscent of Ether as it is shattered.
I realize what he's doing just before he does. He's going to take the Sigil, and he's going to take the leap. Right here. Right now.
Everything pauses for a single moment. Then, the world goes white and black like a photograph, a crack running through reality briefly.
The entire world beats in an unknown rhythm for the tiniest fragment of time before returning to normal.
I watch an advancement to the Angelic Realm in a single moment as a roar comes from Edward, blood spilling from every single part of his body all at once. The newly burgeoned Angel debuts his Power for the world to see.
A river of blood is made from his body, a whole level above the typical amount that comes from the man. The height of the blood in a single second reaches two stories, and the width fills the whole street, rapidly moving toward us. One end of the river of blood delivers a terrified child to safety. The other devours the Myriads, who are trying to kill Edward.
Frozen in amazement and fear, I'm pulled away by Primrose, who comes to first as I hear more water splashing and a woman scream. The scream of Ashley. I twist my head as I run to see her get drowned in a river of blood as dozens of Myriads run for their lives.
Humanity, in a single internal conflict, just gained an Angel but lost a Pillar. Who knows if that Angel still has its mind, though. Either Edward was ready for advancement, or he wasn't. Only time will tell.
If there was ever a time to Prove oneself, that would have been it. The brink of death against two opponents far greater than you, fighting for something bigger than yourself. There are three ways that one Proves themself.
This information comes from information I've gathered on the journey here from other Hunters I've been able to speak to and books I've read, so I'm unsure how true it is. Still, the three ways are strict, and all hinge on one subject.
The Proof for a Wondrous aims to align one's soul and Sigil. Yet, the Proof for an Angel begins the merge of the soul, the controller of Ether, and the Sigil, the creator of Ether. And to start this merge, you must Prove yourself to yourself, as the Absolution fulfills the mandate of the world. But even then, there are many ways to prove yourself in your own mind.
One either becomes an Angel, grasping for divinity by proving their eligibility, confidence, and determination by having others respect and believe in them enough for the person to think themselves worthy. This is similar to Absolution but different in that it requires a remarkable feat or action to be completed first instead of during the process.
Or, they live long enough for the soul and Sigil to merge. This gradual self-actualization occurs over a long life, which completes the Proof independently. As far as I know, this is rare in humans due to our relatively short lives, and Forerunners exist to keep an eye on those who might advance with enough life.
Or, finally, one delves deep into that dark abyss of human malice and rips out the monster within, proving only to themselves what they are capable of without relying on others or waiting for the eventual merge.
I hope Edward is the first of the three, as the Angelic realm is where the Sigil and Ether truly start to affect the mind.
But one thing is for sure. Without Ashley, the Estates no longer own Blackreach. It will either be the home of the Resistance manned by a myriad of madness or the Revolution drenched in the blood of a sacrificial man.
And as we hurry toward the wagon in the forest, I feel a resounding shockwave beside me that throws me off my feet out of nowhere. Primrose catches me and spins me to stabilize me, but as I turn to the origin of the disturbance, my heart is caught in my throat.
Less than five feet from me, Edward Dudley is impaled on a tree branch, the wood protruding in apparent agony. Groaning, he turns and sees the woman holding me, laughing as the Bloodbeast introduces himself and pulls himself off the branch, blood spewing all over the ground in inhuman amounts and dyeing the grass red.
"Been a while, 'eh, Primrose? Could use a lil' help, deary. I'm in a bit of a... sticky situation."
My eyes glance at the woman holding me up, and my knees buckle as she responds to him like a grieved ex.
"Shut up, Edward, go die on your own!"
Edward Dudley laughs again as he removes himself from the branch, his focus returning to the coming dangers.
"That's fair, but don't leave so soon. I've got things to talk about. That is, if I survive, but something tells me I will."
Then, with another surge of blood that lifts the man to his feet and heaves him forward, Edward rushes toward the two battling Angels, leaving Elizabeth and me staring at Primrose in shock.
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